DO YOU WANT TO GO HIGHER?
Recently I had the opportunity to hear Tyler Perry speak on leadership in person at Leadercast Live in Atlanta, Ga. Leadercast Live is the world’s largest one-day leadership event, with more than 100,000 attendees at 500+ locations across 20 different countries around the world. This simulcast event is targeted at those who desire to learn and grow in their leadership aptitudes.
Below are my notes from Tyler Perry’s talk that day.
1. Begin with Listening:
Tyler Perry began his talk by stating he normally doesn’t like to give out advice to people. He finds it challenging to stand in front of us with the intent of telling us how to be better leaders. Normally, when people come to him for advice he first listens to them. This is a great lesson for all of us to follow. Listening first can benefit all of us as leaders.
Tyler states that in most cases they are able to work things out for themselves when he simply listens to them tell him their problem.
2. Share personal experiences as teaching/coaching method:
If listening alone does not work, he will next share some of his own personal experiences in hopes that it might help them figure out a solution. So he offered to share some of his life’s experiences on life, leadership and finding his purpose in order that it might help in our journey to discover our purpose. He stated that it’s very important to him that people speak things into his life. As a leader I try to speak things into other people’s lives.
3. Hard work:
Scripture teaches us we overcome things by the word of our testimony. When you see my name I was building a brand. It’s not about ego but building a brand. It’s about building recognition and support. I was the man who if I wanted something I went to work until I could get it.
- We bought Fort McPherson and turned it into a movie studio with four sound stages with 400+ employees.
- Most days I’m the first one there and the last one to leave.
- I don’t know how to be a leader without being all-in. As a leader, you have to be all-in.
4. The God Factor:
It’s hard to tell my story without talking about God.
5. Persistence:
- What happens to people sometimes is when one thing doesn’t go right, people let their dreams die.
6. Forgiveness:
- It’s take a great leader to forgive when you’ve been done wrong.
- When I forgave my father, my soul was freed up and I became lighter.
7. Purpose:
- As a leader if you have no purpose, you’re a very expensive yacht with no rudder.
8. Compassionate Correction:
- As a leader it is important we carry correction in our heart but it is accompanied by compassion. Sometimes people just don’t know.
9. Tree People:
An organization’s team is a lot like a tree, it’s made up of people who are leaves, branches and roots.
- Leaf-people: these people provide shade but are there only for a season. This should be expected. Never get mad at a leaf person for leaving.
- Branch people: these are people who you can’t put some weight on, but they can break at some point if pressure gets to great and leave you hanging. Branches, can weather more of the storm. They are more withstanding than leaves, but it’s important not to overload them. You need to know when is too much [for branches], or they’ll break.
- Root people: these the people who are the foundation of your organization holding you up, holding up the organization. These people form the core of your organization and are there for your very survival. They don’t sway in the wind. It would take an act of God to move them. And if they do, they’re still connected to you.
It takes all of these types to make an organization run and help you climb.
10. Taking time to Reflect:
- I’ve been so busy in the climb, looking down, working hard, I hadn’t celebrated what I had done.
- Take some time to reflect. Look back on what you have accomplished for a moment. Celebrate and then move on to the next mountain in front of you.
- I may not be at the top of the mountain but taking I’m joy in how far I’m come.
11. Do you want to go higher?
Perry concluded his talk with a challenge by asking the question, Do you want to go higher? As leaders and children of God, we’ve been given successes and opportunities most people only dream about. He challenged us to consider the responsibility we have as leaders to continue to grow and achieve new heights. Our leadership is a stewardship and we have an obligation to continue to grow and challenge ourselves to reach new levels of achievement.
Do you want to go higher?
The scars and struggles you have to go through to get where you are, there’s an impact. The scars may be great but you can’t let them become a weight in your life. When God asked me if I wanted to go higher, I want to have said “Yes.”Never despise small beginnings. Higher is waiting. Do you want to go higher?
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